Why I joined.

[Skol993]

Hello all, my wife Mary and I have looked jealously at your lovely vans for some years now. We have dabbled with a Landcruiser with a roof tent and enjoyed it. With the iBuzz (or whatever it ends up being called) coming in 2022 we are 100% going to jump in. So if anyone could point us in the right direction about how to buy a brand new van, and how to get it built the way we would want it specc'ed that would be a really useful for us. I guess you don't just pop to the dealer and say I want that one. In the mean time we will contain our jealousy for another year or so. Thank you all, S

 

[pluc99]

Not to be a buzzkill, but the version to be launched in 2022 is not likely to be a camper. I think that's going to take an extra year or two of waiting if not more. But nonetheless .

 

[Skol993]

Thanks pluc99, I guess that is the first of the things I want to discover.
Discover No.1 Is it 'sensible' or even possible, to buy a brand new basic van and then convert it (who could do this?), or is it worth the wait for another year or two to get something that I have set my mind to and am saving up for?

 

[itsSteve]

I hope that this doesn't sound condescending - it's certainly not meant to be - and no-one knows all the answers, and we all started somewhere, but the simple questions you pose encapsulate the challenges facing most campervanning enthusiasts. The simple answer is that there are a large number of converters who claim to be able to transform a range of base vehicles, and almost certainly some do it better than others. Most conversions stick to a few basic formats, generally those that are found in "ready-made" vehicles. So, the next question to be tackled is what do you expect to be able to do with your new van? Overnights? Long weekends? Short or long holidays? Mainly touring or camping? Wild camping or sites? And that's very much an edited list .......... Can you keep it off road when not in use? Are you hoping to utilise it throughout the year? Will it be your only vehicle?

If you know the answers to these questions you can begin to work out the sort of 'van you need, small, medium, large, with or without facilities for cooking, showering, chilling, sleeping, lounging, entertaining, family friendly or ideal for couples, able to get under car park barriers .......... and this is the only part that I will offer an opinion on; you want it as big as possible on the inside and as small as possible on the outside! A van conversion can give the security of a metal shell designed to proven international industry standards; a coach-built body will make more effective use of space, as it's designed to accommodate people not pallets. My last point is this; you have found your way to a site where many contributors have decided, that combining the responsibility for the base vehicle, the conversion and the appliances in the conversion at one point of sale and service is user friendly. Other options can be really good, but they can also bring a range of ownership challenges. I hope that this is of some help - we are awaiting out third van, a GC 600, and think that we've probably nearly got it right this time. If we have, we'll be happy with that as we have a sneaking feeling that perfection in this field of endeavour is not possible. Oh, and if you can, try before you buy. Borrow a mate's, or hire one for a night or two and it could save you quite a lot in the long run. If you do take up the challenge, I wish you as much fun as we've had.

 

[Wildcamper]

Hello all, my wife Mary and I have looked jealously at your lovely vans for some years now. We have dabbled with a Landcruiser with a roof tent and enjoyed it. With the iBuzz (or whatever it ends up being called) coming in 2022 we are 100% going to jump in. So if anyone could point us in the right direction about how to buy a brand new van, and how to get it built the way we would want it specc'ed that would be a really useful for us. I guess you don't just pop to the dealer and say I want that one. In the mean time we will contain our jealousy for another year or so. Thank you all, S

I assume we that you are looking for a conversion rather than a California. We purchased a new van and had it converted. I have said all this before. We went down the conversion route as the California did, and does not, work for us. We wanted more space, so LWB, then more insulation for winter and do not like pop tops, so high top, as we go away for longer stretches the small campinggaz bottles do not work for us and are not good if it gets too cold, so we went LPG in an underslung 15L tank, then we wanted hot water, a shower and toilet. This would all fit in a big white but we wanted a VW T6 sized van. We looked for over a year at converters and we saw a load of rubbish with a very few, in my opinion, competent providers. Most of these would only provide "their design" with minor variations. We also wanted full VW warranty on the vehicle plus warranty on the conversion. We ended up with Autohaus in Minehead. We have everything we requested including VW warranty, conversion warranty and excellent after sales support. They did raise the odd eyebrow at some of our requests but we worked together to get everything included all in a brand new van. What we have works for us while the California did not. Give Tony and Chris a call, even better go and visit.

 

[andyinluton]

Thanks pluc99, I guess that is the first of the things I want to discover.
Discover No.1 Is it 'sensible' or even possible, to buy a brand new basic van and then convert it (who could do this?), or is it worth the wait for another year or two to get something that I have set my mind to and am saving up for?

You might find that its a year or two wait for any new VW van not just Californias.
I have seen reports of cancelled orders & order books full for next year already for transporters.

 

[Wildcamper]

You might find that its a year or two wait for any new VW van not just Californias.
I have seen reports of cancelled orders & order books full for next year already for transporters.

According to the Autohaus website they have a range of unregistered new vehicles in stock.

 

[SusiBus]

There you are Skol993, isn't the forum wounderful. Wildcamper has done all the leg work for you, having spent a year doing his market survey. Sounds like a trip to Minehead is called for.
You could have a weeks holiday at Butlins at Minehead to make it a double fun!

 

[Skol993]

I assume we that you are looking for a conversion rather than a California. We purchased a new van and had it converted. I have said all this before. We went down the conversion route as the California did, and does not, work for us. We wanted more space, so LWB, then more insulation for winter and do not like pop tops, so high top, as we go away for longer stretches the small campinggaz bottles do not work for us and are not good if it gets too cold, so we went LPG in an underslung 15L tank, then we wanted hot water, a shower and toilet. This would all fit in a big white but we wanted a VW T6 sized van. We looked for over a year at converters and we saw a load of rubbish with a very few, in my opinion, competent providers. Most of these would only provide "their design" with minor variations. We also wanted full VW warranty on the vehicle plus warranty on the conversion. We ended up with Autohaus in Minehead. We have everything we requested including VW warranty, conversion warranty and excellent after sales support. They did raise the odd eyebrow at some of our requests but we worked together to get everything included all in a brand new van. What we have works for us while the California did not. Give Tony and Chris a call, even better go and visit.

Brilliant, thanks for the reply. I will get in touch with Autohaus. Much appreciated.

 

[Bellcrew]

Or you could join the Autohouseclub, I hear they they have some excellent forum's, unfortunately shameless Cali owner's keep plugging their preference. Inevitable I suppose.